


The Holiday Cycle

by RunawayDeviant



Series: Growth [2]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Adult!Bones, Again, Bones is having none of his shit, Bones is one of those kids who believed until he got to highschool and then it was all over, Boneses of all ages!, F/M, Gen, Jim is Jack Frost, Kid!Bones, Leonard McCoy Has The Patience Of A Saint, but then he is because magic, i did a thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-08
Updated: 2013-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-18 02:49:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/874800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RunawayDeviant/pseuds/RunawayDeviant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bones spends part of his life finding mythical beings, part of it thinking that his over-active mind had made <i>up</i> the mythical beings, and the rest of it living with one.</p><p>He has yet to figure out how this happened to him.</p><p>This is a prequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/851615">Growing Old Is Mandatory, Growing Up Is Optional</a>, but can be read as a standalone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Keeping Up With The McCoys

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there and welcome to... this thing!  
> This story is a prequel to Growing Old Is Mandatory, Growing Up Is Optional and is divided into three parts: Leo, Leonard and Bones. Each represent a different stage of Bones' life, so his personality may vary.  
> Enjoy! :3

** Leo **

 

"Santa doesn't exist," Christian scoffed.

Leo gave his older cousin a sceptical look; "Then who puts the last present under the tree?"

Christian rolled his eyes; "Your parents, obviously."

Leo rolled his eyes right back; "Mum and Dad just get me gift cards. They wouldn't know what I wanted for Christmas if I wrote it in plain Standard across the kitchen cupboards using my own blood."

Christian turned somewhat pale at the mention of blood and fled to somewhere in the house far from Leo, who scoffed. He was the tougher of the two, and it was going to disappoint his uncle greatly when his Christian failed to become a doctor. Leo was hoping to laugh at him all the way to the grave.

Even at six, his dry humour and generally laconic nature was shining through and startling all and sundry. His parents had wondered if maybe they'd been letting him watch too many drama holos, but even the removal of their favourite shows yielded a child whose only concession to joy were jokes at the expense of others and the occasional bout of toilet humour (he was only six, after all).

This did not, however, diminish the fact that Leo was still a kid. One who believed in the Tooth Fairy and Santa the Easter Bunny and a lot of what went bump in the night. The fact that his mother nurtured that belief, even when his father rolled his eyes and scoffed, only made him more certain that his faith was well-placed.

So he shook off his cousin's close-mindedness and headed for the kitchen, where he'd been helping his parents and relatives chop carrots before being dragged away to "play".

"Did you enjoy talking with your cousin?" his mother asked mildly.

"I hate him," he replied, shrugging indifferently.

His aunts exchanged a look and he added, "He keeps trying to put me down because I'm younger than him."

The look was decidedly more fierce this time, and Leo took up his little knife and chopping board with the satisfaction of a job well done.

* * *

 

 

Christian's punishment for "being mean to Leonard" was to eschew his place at the adult table, which he'd earned last year by turning eleven, and sit at the kid's table while Leo took his spot.

Leo thought this was fair and just and took his spot happily, ignoring the mumblings of dissent from the larger boy.

He listened to his family talking around him; this business venture by so-and-so was going well, Uncle Ryan was thinking about opening a new practise in another location ("You're moving to Nebraska?" his mother had gasped) and Leo's father was very proud of his son's progress in school.

"He must be the only literate child there," he said, rolling his eyes, "You'd think in this day and age that people would teach their kids to read before sending them off to learn other things. They're barely teaching it at the school; I wonder why I pay so much, to be honest."

As Leo recalled, he had taught himself how to read by learning the alphabet from a holo and then opening up a copy of The Chronicles of Narnia and staring at the letters, clumsily making sounds at the page until they resembled words.

"Not everyone can be Leo," Aunty Susan said fondly, "And some people don't have time to be teaching children how to read; they have to support their families."

"They should get better jobs," Leo's father said dismissively.

Leo frowned; his best friend Mark's parents hadn't taught him to read before school. Mark had told him that they worked a lot, so he had to help more around the house. That it was okay, though, because they did it all for him. Leo wondered what made his dad think differently.

"Dad," he spoke up, "doesn't working more mean you're doing better?"

His father laughed fondly; "Son, you know you're doing well in your job when you're doing LESS work."

(In thirty years' time when Bones was entrenched in his position as CMO on a starship, he'd remember that comment and nearly cough up a lung laughing.)

"But what if they can't get better jobs even though they try really hard?"

"Then they should think about getting further education," Uncle Ryan said firmly, receiving nods from everyone but Leo's mother, who was frowning.

"What if they can't afford it?"

"Join Starfleet?" Uncle Richard said, laughing derisively.

Leo frowned; why were they all being so mean? It wasn't their own fault that they'd ended up with bad jobs.

He said as much, and his father turned on him; "Who exactly are you talking about, Leo?"

Leo got the feeling that answering would mean that he wouldn't be allowed to see Mark anymore and he refused to answer.

"Leonard, tell me who it is that's got you thinking that being poor is okay."

"No one made me think that being poor's okay!" he replied, "I just think that you can't always blame them just because life gave them bad luck!"

"Young man-"

"Will, back off," his mother intervened, "Leo's got a good heart, and you should be proud of that."

"May I be excused?" Leo muttered glaring at his half-full plate.

"Finish your dinner," his father ordered, and Leo scoffed the whole thing down and informed the table at large that he'd probably throw up now. Then he marched himself to his room and shut the door quietly behind him.

His room was a haven of storybooks and data PADDs. His cupboard was topped with toys that he no longer played with and his desk covered with all sorts of things, from writing projects to anatomically correct sketches of squirrels and opossums (or as close as one could get with crayon).

He sat on his bed and pondered his father's words, and then decided that his father was stupid and got up to pull a book of Christmas stories off the shelf.

A knock sounded on his door before he could start reading, and he called, "Come in."

The door opened and his mother slipped inside, looking unhappy. Leo recoiled for a moment before the frown was smoothed over by his favourite smile in the world. "I remember the first time I came in here and saw you reading a book by yourself," she said, sitting down beside him, "I was so surprised, because you were only four and I'd been so excited about teaching you myself. But you didn't need my help, just like you didn't need anyone to tell you that your father was dead wrong about Mark's parents."

Leo glanced up, startled, and she rubbed his back reassuringly; "Your father doesn't talk to them, unlike me. I would've been in exactly the same position if your father hadn't fallen in love with me. He forgets that, sometimes."

"I thought things like this were supposed to be grown-up topics, anyway," Leo said sullenly, unhappy that his day was going to end with him camping in his room to avoid everyone.

"You were sitting at the grown-up table," she replied cheekily, and Leo pouted at her. Then he leaned against her and savoured the warmth she radiated.

After a while he spoke up again; "Christian said that Santa doesn't exist."

"He was wrong," she said firmly, standing and pulling out a thin novel, "Remember the books by J. Bennett?"

"Yeah," he said, "About the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy..."

"And Santa," she continued, "and the Sandman and Jack Frost and all the others. They're all real, darling. I know you've got this book firmly catalogued in your little library's fiction section, but everything in it is true. You know I wouldn't tell you lies before bed."

Leo didn't reply, so after a short time his mother kissed him on the head and left, returning to the party. The book was left on his bedside table, and Leo stared at it's cover for a time – it was the one about Santa and the North Pole – before frowning and grabbing a PADD. He set an alarm for eleven thirty pm and changed into his pyjamas, going to bed and willing himself to sleep.

* * *

 

 

He woke with the alarm and immediately shut it off, wide awake and ready for a reconnaissance mission. He'd played this game plenty of times with the kids at school so he was almost silent, making his way to the living room on thickly socked feet.

He'd missed the Christmas Eve opening of presents, which his father's side of the family did every year, so what had to be his pile was noticeably higher than his parents'. Everyone had already left, the youth of all the children making it necessary for earlier bedtimes, so he was alone in the dark room, looking for a place to hide. He settled for a spot atop a cabinet in the corner, where the shadows were deep and he could keep an eye on the entire room.

The bright numbers of the digital clock on a side table across the room informed him as five minutes passed, then ten, then twenty. He'd almost begun to nod off again when an odd whine brought him back. He looked to the window, where the noise came from, and froze as the now unlocked window slid open and a huge man stepped through, carrying an equally massive sack on his back. He panicked for a moment, before remembering that it was _Christmas_ and _oh my gosh_ , _Santa_.

The man carefully knelt down beside the tree and extracted two packages from the sack, placing one on his pile and another on one of his parents'.

He stood to leave, nodding at a job well done, before Leo managed to speak up; "Santa?" he whispered.

The man - _Santa!_ \- froze and turned to look at him. Leo saw a twinkle of blue eyes in the moonlight as the man frowned into the darkness.

"Yes?" he asked, voice rough and low.

"... Hi," Leo whispered, sliding forward and off the cabinet.

"Hello, Leonard," Santa replied, smiling brightly (if a little awkwardly) at him, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," he replied, "Sorry I didn't leave out any cookies or anything; Dad doesn't do it if I'm not here, I guess."

He frowned at the empty coffee table and Santa shrugged.

"Is no problem, I am full of cookies anyway," he said, making a face, "Is no wonder that Bunny is always making fun of my weight."

"The Easter Bunny?"

"Who else?" Santa laughed loudly, before slapping a hand over his mouth and looking up the hallway. When no one stirred he shook his head, "You realise that you will have to work extra hard to be on Nice List next year, now you have seen me, yes?"

"I know," Leo said, smiling, "I know I wasn't supposed to see you at all, but my cousin said you didn't exist. Mum said you did and I had to prove that she was right."

"Of course she was right," Santa said, crouching down (still tall enough to be looming over him), "Why do you think she still gets presents from me? Is because she knows I am real."

"What did you get her?" Leo asked.

"Limited edition Star Wars box set with functioning light sabre," he replied, grinning and holding a finger to his lips, "Do not ruin surprise."

Leo mimicked the movement and nodded, "I should go back to bed now," he said, "... Can I have a hug?"

Santa smiled and opened his arms, and Leo skittered forward and hugged the man's huge torso, giggling when equally large arms folded around him.

"Thanks," he said when he stepped back, "Good night. Merry Christmas again."

"Merry Christmas, Leonard," Santa replied, rising, "Lock the window behind me?"

Leo nodded and escorted the man out, blinking when he leapt onto the roof in one fluid movement. He wondered for a moment why he couldn't hear hooves, and realised that he could see the sleigh and accompanying reindeer a few rooftops away; Santa had been leaping from roof to roof by himself.

"Awesome," he muttered, closing and locking the window before shivering and hurrying back to his room. Before turning off the lamp, he took the book off the bedside table and placed it on the non-fiction side of his shelves. Then he tucked himself in and fell asleep once more, mind alive with what had just occurred in his living room.

* * *

 

 

He woke the next morning and calmly made his way to the couches where his parents sat, already awake and waiting for him.

"Merry Christmas," he said with a smile.

"Merry Christmas," they replied, and Leo turned to the pile, grabbing Santa's gift to his mother.

"Open this one, Mum," he said, presenting it to her, "You'll like it a lot."

"Why thank you, Leo," she said, waiting until he'd handed one to his father as well to look down at the tag, "Oh, it's from Santa!"

His father huffed, but said nothing, and Leo suddenly felt a wave of pity wash over him. It quickly dissipated when his mother opened her present and smiled hugely; "The Star Wars set with the light sabre that's actually made of hardlight! I've been wanting this all year!"

Leo quickly tore into his, and grinned when a remote control hovercar emerged; "My friends are going to be so jealous."

His mother sent him a knowing look and gestured to the pile, "Well? You'd better open everything up before we get ready to visit my family; otherwise they might not be there when we get back."

Leo shook his head, knowing that wouldn't happen, and dutifully handed both his parents another present before turning to his own.

His Christmas Eve may have been a bit lacklustre, but his Christmas Day seemed like it was more than going to make up for it.

Oh, and he'd gotten to meet Santa - the real deal. Yes, life was good for Leo McCoy.

(Over three decades later, he'd look back and wonder how the hell he'd ever managed to stop believing after that encounter. He put it down to the world being assholes and moved on. He was too busy patching up the Guardian of Fun in sickbay; he didn't have time for such maudlin thoughts.)


	2. Where Bunnies Lie

** Leo **

 

Leo had been on egg hunts before, but they hadn't been a proper organised competition until this year. Each of the kids that had turned up had brought a pen and some paper (so old fashioned!) and had waited until the stopwatch started to run into the park on Leo's street on the hunt for eggs.

He'd immediately headed for the copse of trees at the very back, knowing that most of the other kids would have to stay within sight of their parents. His, however, were more lenient, and as long he came back in the same state that he'd left he was allowed to do as pleased. So into the trees he went, finding three eggs almost immediately on entering the tree line.

His basket was soon near being filled, and he was grinning; the other kids were probably all wrestling over the last of the eggs out in the open and he'd most likely won just by using his brain. He spotted an egg under a bush and frowned, before deciding that the plant wasn't going to give him a rash and burrowing under.

He reached out and grabbed it, grinning as he did so. A rustle in the bushes ahead of him made him look up, expecting a squirrel or bird. Instead bright blue eyes met his hazel.

"There's an eight year old in that bush over there," the odd looking young man - alien? - said, looking distinctly unimpressed.

"Yes, I can see that, Jack," another voice replied, and Leo blinked at the sight of a huge furry face concealed behind the foliage.

"Can you see that he's staring straight at both of us and holding an autograph book?"

"Wha-? Ah, bloody hell. Kid, get out of that bush; it's poison ivy."

"No it's now," Leo replied, wiggling backwards out of the bush; "It's a baby Box Elder. It just look like ivy."

"Good to know," Jack said, "Please tell me you're not actually going to ask him to sign that."

"No," he replied, "I was keeping a tally of how many eggs I got. I wasn't really expecting to find the Easter Bunny lurking in the bushes, so..."

"Oh good," Bunny said, rising from the spot in their own bush, pulling the teenager out with him, "We weren't expecting to be found either. Apparently hiding in bushes is too low-tech these days."

"Nah, bushes work fine," Leo shrugged casually, though his eyes had widened at the sheer size of the Bunny, "Cloaking technology's not that great yet anyway."

"Leo?" his mum called from outside the trees, "Where've you gone, honey?"

"Coming, Mum!" Leo replied, turning back to them with a small smile; "Happy Easter."

"You too, kid," the teen said, leaning on the weird stick he was carrying.

"Happy Easter," the Bunny said, giving him what could only be called a smirk.

He walked around a big tree and then continued walking in place, gradually making his footsteps sound softer until they disappeared altogether.

"And you all keep wondering why I want to take a Human vacation," the teenager said, obviously grinning, "With the amount of crazy people running around I'm practically obliged to wade into the fray and become their leader."

"Vacation," the Bunny scoffed, and Leo could hear them picking their way out of the bush, "A vacation goes for a month, not close to a century."

"The weather modification network-"

"I know, I know. Sometimes I wonder if we shouldn't just ship you off to a colony that doesn't have a net yet." Leo heard something soft tap the ground twice.

"Oh come off it; if I got further from the Moon than Mars I'd probably turn to dust or something ridiculous."

"We wish."

Leo looked out from behind the tree and watched them both disappear into a portal in the ground, leaving only a daisy behind to mark its presence there.

"Human vacation?" he wondered. Then he shrugged; it really wasn't any of his business.

(It would be later, though.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned that Bones is too smart? I haven't? Well he is. He grows up to develop all sorts of fancy neurosurgery techniques, I'm taking liberties. :P


	3. When Teeth Fly

** Leonard **

 

Leonard and Jocelyn had always agreed that they'd never lie to Joanna. Sadly, they'd forgotten about fairy tales and holiday spirits. They were possibly the biggest lies of them all, but they'd be remiss to deny Joanna that innocent belief and the joy that came with it.

"I hear someone lost a tooth today," Joce murmured in his ear one evening, and Leonard turned from the pot he'd been stirring to grin at their daughter as she bolted into the kitchen.

"Daddy!" she yelled, sliding over to him on socked feet, "I lost a tooth! I fell over while we were skipping and it got knocked out! The Tooth Fairy's gonna come visit me!"

"Yes she is, darling," he said, kneeling down to her level, "I wonder how many credits you'll have on your chit tomorrow?"

"Can I stay up and see her?" she asked excitedly, fluttering her eyelashes at him. For a five year old, she certainly knew how to get what she wanted.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Joce said from where she was pulling a packet of pasta from the pantry, "If you stay up, she won't visit at all!"

Joanna pouted; "No fair."

"That's the way it's gotta be," Leonard shrugged, tilting her chin up, "Now let me look at that smile of yours."

Joanna smiled as wide as she could, revealing that one of her incisors had come out but that her mouth was otherwise unscathed. She pulled the corresponding tooth out of her pocket and said, "Isn't it cool?"

"Very," he agreed, "let's go put that under your pillow, shall we?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Have fun!" Joce laughed as he was dragged out of the room.

Joanna all but catapulted herself onto her bed once they reached her room, lifting up her pillow and carefully placing the tooth underneath.

"I want tomorrow to be now!" she whined, and Leonard sat down beside her.

"The only way for that to happen is to go to sleep," he said, holding out his arms for a hug, "and we have to eat dinner before that happens."

"Is dinner ready?" she asked, eyes widening as she folded herself into his arms.

"Not for another ten minutes," he said, and she flopped on his lap in response. "Poor baby," he laughed, picking her up in a fireman's hold to a squeal of delight, "Let's go set the table, okay? Tell me what you did at school today."

* * *

 

Leonard slid into Joanna's room at midnight as quietly as possible, slipping over to his daughter's bedside with a gentle smile gracing his features.

'Let's see here,' he thought, carefully feeling under her pillow for the tooth... which wasn't there. He frowned, wondering if maybe Joce had taken the tooth before going to bed and forgotten to mention it. He pulled his hand out, flicking off a piece of fluff that got caught on his fingers, and padded over to Joanna's tiny (and frankly adorable) wallet to pull out her credit chit. He thumbed the button to make the little screen light up and nodded at the extra five credits in the balance; apparently his job had already been done for him. He returned it to the wallet, which he placed back on the desk before leaving the room.

He failed to notice that the fluff he'd flicked away was, in fact, a brightly-coloured miniature feather.

* * *

 

"Mum, Dad!" Joanna squealed, running into their room and promptly waking them both up, "My tooth is gone and I got some credits! The Tooth Fairy really came!"

"That's wonderful, darling," Jocelyn said, smiling sleepily at their daughter, "Do you have enough to order that purple cover for your PADD?"

There was silence for a moment and then she ran out of the room, obviously off to order her cover.

"Thanks," Leonard muttered into his pillow.

"What for?" Jocelyn asked, smiling and lying back down, "All I did was distract our very enthusiastic offspring with pretty shiny things."

Leonard, however, had already drifted back off, and didn't think to thank his wife for arranging the tooth and money the next time he awoke.


	4. Dreams

** Leonard **

 

Watching his daughter dream was something that Leonard got to do often, lately. Despite his best efforts, his shifts at the clinic were becoming ridiculous; two doctors had been tempted away by the big money of Starfleet in the last three months, leaving those that remained to do their work on top of their own. Leonard spent more time at the damn practice than he did in his own home.

Thus, when he came home it was, if not late at night, at least after Joanna's bedtime. He confessed his growing ire over the clinic's situation to Jocelyn, who promised to put up a notice on the regional bulletin board. Hopefully there was still _someone_ in Georgia who wanted to actually work on _humans_.

Even while he mourned the loss of time with his daughter - while she was conscious - watching her curled up in a cocoon against the growing autumn chill was an okay substitute. She was adorable, and going through the nearly nightly ritual of coming into her room and kissing her forehead before retreating to his own bed was therapeutic after a day of whiny old people and common colds - both far below his skill level.

Before he'd gotten married and been gifted with Joanna, he'd been pioneering new techniques in neuroscience like a machine. He'd settled down at a practice so that he could spend time with his wife and, after a time, his daughter. He didn't regret it, most days, but with Starfleet recruiting so aggressively...

It was hard not to feel bitter towards those who had left, both because they were probably better appreciated in the 'Fleet than in their little town, and because they had left the rest of them here to deal with the fallout.

* * *

 

It was a Friday night that he slipped into the house with a sigh of relief. Tomorrow was Saturday, the busiest day of the week, and Leonard had informed the practice at large that he was not coming in no matter what. He'd then fled the building so that no one could convince him otherwise and all but ran to his car to escape the place. He rubbed his eyes and poked his head into his bedroom, smiling at Jocelyn, who was reading something on her PADD.

"Tough day?" she asked as he walked in and headed straight for the pyjama bottoms and t-shirt he'd left on his side of the bed.

"Not too bad. I've taken tomorrow off, and nothing anyone says or comes down with will make me leave this house."

"Not even a picnic?"

Leonard considered that as he slipped the shirt on, before nodding; "Yeah, I'd leave the house for a picnic with my ladies."

Jocelyn smiled as he crawled over to kiss her, "The _young_ Lady is asleep, has been for an hour."

He curled around her legs and laid his head in her lap, "I miss coming home at three and making dinner so that when you both came flying through the door you'd be torn between saying hi to me or eating."

"I miss you ironing my shirts," she replied dryly, and he snorted.

"I'm gonna go say goodnight to the munchkin. You keep reading-" he pulled himself upright and looked at the PADD's screen, "- Plato? Really?"

"I'm seeing how far I get before drifting off," Jocelyn shrugged, "Helps me get to sleep."

He chuckled; "Good idea. I'll be back, unless I fall asleep in the hall or something."

She kissed him and he crawled over her to the door, making a show of nearly falling off the bed (she laughed at his antics), and heading down the hall.

He looked into Joanna's room, expecting her to be deeply asleep and tangled in the sheets, only to discover her lying wide awake in her bed, eyes reflecting the half moon's light.

"What's the matter sweetheart?" he asked softly, "Can't sleep?"

"I had a nightmare, daddy," she told him, burrowing further into her covers, "There was an evil horse with sharp teeth."

"Well there's no evil horse that's a match for me," he assured her, walking over to her space pirate nightlight and switching it on. The previously ominous shadows in the room retreated to their rightful place under the bed, and Joanna smiled tentatively.

"You okay now, darling?"

"Please don't go!" she said, reaching out for him.

Leonard smiled and Joanna scooted over so that he could get into her (far too short) bed with her.

"Nothing to fear, Jo," he said as she happily snuggled into his side, "There aren't any evil horses here anymore."

"Thanks, daddy."

* * *

 

A thread of golden Dreamsand slipped through under the closed window and made its way towards the sleeper who'd been interrupted by a Nightmare. It hesitated for a moment, finding two sleepers in the bed, before drifting forwards and entangling both of them in its happy and peaceful dreams.


	5. These Winter Wonders

** Leonard **

"DADDY!" a little girl's shriek carried through the house, "IT'S SNOWING!"

Leonard, who had managed to wheedle his way out of a morning shift and had been looking forward to a sleep in, blinked awake and wondered if he'd dreamt his daughter yelling. Southern Georgia really wasn't known for its abundant snow, though it did happen. Never in Leonard's lifetime, though. Apparently, now it had.

"Whyyyyy?" he whined into his pillow, before dragging himself out of his warm bed and trudging down to the living room. Joanna stood at the window, staring wonderingly at the white world it displayed for them.

"It's so cool!" she said, not looking away.

"Yup," he replied, "Absolutely freezing."

She turned and pouted at him, eyes widening; "Can we play in the snow? Please?"

"Jo-"

"Pleeeeeeeease?"

He sighed; "Sure thing, baby. Breakfast first, though."

* * *

 

He called the practice and wheezed his way through an excuse, and they waved him off, telling him not to even think about coming in until he was better. He took the opportunity and ran with it. He made Jo breakfast, bundled her up in the warmest clothing he could get her in and they headed outside.

The second his foot crunched on the snow, any doubts he'd had about the day evaporated.

"Let's make a snowman!" Joanna said, and he agreed, following her to the middle of the lawn.

They debated for a while the best method of making big enough balls of snow to stack, and then got underway, creating the most stereotypical snowman to ever exist. It even had a carrot for a nose, a scarf - one of Leonard's - and two lopsided twigs for arms.

"Perfect," he said proudly, and Joanna laughed.

"It looks really dumb!" she said, shaking her head.

He eyed her for a moment before darting out to grab her. She squealed as he slung her over his shoulder and declared, "And now, we will investigate the properties of a snow-covered park. Who knows what mysteries await discovery?"

"A yeti?" Joanna suggested, and Leonard shook his head.

"Those live in the North Pole, with Santa," he reminded her.

"Oh yeah, I forgot!"

* * *

 

The next day, Leonard woke up half an hour before Jocelyn did and peered out the window. The world was still white, and Leonard wondered how long the snow would manage to stick for.

He padded back to his bed and curled up next to his wife, waiting the time it took for her alarm to go off before kissing her and asking if he could keep Joanna at home for the day.

"It's only a Monday," he told her teasingly, "Who ever did good work on a Monday?"

"You," she laughed sleepily, "When you developed that vaccine for... What flu was it? The one that children could survive but asphyxiated adults."

"Uh... Teleedron. Damn, I'd forgotten about that."

"You can keep her home," Joce said, nuzzling his shoulder, "She's more than smart enough to catch up on silly first grade things."

"Silly first grade things will one day be silly fifth grade things," he informed her.

"And eventually even silly post-grad things. Such is life," she shrugged and then made a face. "Now I have to get up. I don't want to."

"Such is life," Leonard shrugged, and she whacked him on the shoulder.

* * *

 

That day, Leonard drove a ways out from the town to one of the open fields that he and Jocelyn had frequented when they'd first moved there.

There were others there too, which probably shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did, who were enjoying the snow and obviously skipping work or school to do so. He spotted another doctor from his practice and they exchanged a look that said "let us never speak of this again" before moving in opposite directions with their respective children.

A young guy he didn't recognise instigated a snowball fight at around midday by throwing a snowball at his friend and accidentally hitting a young girl in the shoulder. Leonard grabbed Jo and booked it; no way in hell was he getting a snowball to the face.

They trudged back up to where he'd left the car, nodding politely at the local police officers who were watching the scene with amusement, and Leonard offered to make Jo a hot chocolate when they got home. On getting no reply, he glanced over and chuckled when he saw that she'd dozed off.

When they got home, he pulled her out of the car and carried her inside to the warmth and kitchen appliances within.

"I thought you were too old for naps," he teased as he set her down on a kitchen stool, heading for the cupboard to dig up the chocolate.

"I am!" she protested, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes vigorously, "Playing in the snow is hard, is all!"

"Darling, you are my favourite," he chuckled, waving a mug at her.

She nodded at his choice and said, "Your favourite what?"

"Everything."

* * *

 

The snow lasted another day after that and then turned to slush, making it horrible for everyone involved.

"Well," Leonard said sagely as he dropped Joanna off at school that slushy morning, "It was fun while it lasted."

"I hope it snows again next year!" she said, pulling her bag from the floor of the car as they got to the drop off zone.

"Don't tell anyone I said this, but I hope so too," he grinned, ushering her out, "Now get gone; I need to go to work."

"Have a good day, Daddy!"

"You too, darling. I love you."

"Love you too!"

* * *

 

It didn't snow the next year, or the year after that. Jo asked if that was why he was leaving, just as winter was getting to its peak, and he told her that he was going looking for the snow. He informed her that when he found it, he'd come back and bring her to it.

It was during winter break two years into his Starfleet training that he fulfilled his promise, taking his daughter to Canada and introducing the snow-covered country to her with a flourish.

Jo just laughed; "You're so silly, Dad."

"I promised you snow," he informed her, slinging an arm around her shoulders, "I have delivered."

"Yeah."

They stood and examined the lightly sloping hill that led to a large copse of trees, and then she spoke up again.

"Wanna build a snowman?"

"I thought you'd never ask."


	6. Come Sleet Or Come Snow, We Will Stand By Each Other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was the first time in over two hundred years that Jim had missed Christmas with his family, but Bones couldn't bring himself to feel bad about it.

Then come the wild weather, come sleet or come snow, we will stand by each other, however it blow.

~ Simon Dach

* * *

 

 

** Bones **

Bones woke up on Christmas Day in the sleepy manner of those without a deadline or a care in the world. And then he looked at the clock and remembered that he did have things to worry about and flung himself out of his bed to grab his comm.

After calling Joanna to ask how she liked her present from daddy, he contemplated going back to sleep and then sighed and gave up. If Jim wasn't already awake he'd be up soon, and Bones seriously doubted he'd be allowed to stay in bed much longer anyway.

Thus, he stood up and pushed open his door and was greeted by the sight of their (far too many) Christmas decorations and Jim watching the holoscreen.

"Morning, Bones!" he called cheerfully from the couch, "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you too," Bones replied, walking to the kitchen in search of coffee, "Aren't you supposed to be at the North Pole?"

"What? No way! We've got aaallll day to hang out. Besides, what were you gonna do if I wasn't home?"

The honest answer would've been "drink my weight in whiskey", but by the worry flickering behind Jim's puppy dogs eyes it seemed he already knew.

"Well, I won't reject your company if you're offering," Bones said, glancing out the window. And then double-taking, because why was the world white out there? "Jim? What've you done?"

"I haven't done anything," Jim replied innocently, "San Francisco's weather net must've been reprogrammed to give us a white Christmas. Very thoughtful of them."

Bones turned a just stared at Jim, who only grinned in reply.

"Is the weather bureau having a heart attack?" Bones asked finally, mentally throwing up his hands on the subject.

"First snow in San Fran for fifty years," Jim recited as confirmation, "The weather people are either confused, overjoyed or both. Apparently there are already tonnes of kids out a-frolicking."

"Ah, your master plan is unveiled," Bones said, padding over and dropping down onto the couch beside Jim, "Yuletide joy and good will for all."

"Something like that," Jim shrugged, "I've had this thing brewing for months; the only way to circumvent the weather net is to subtly manipulate the weather in a few places around- you probably don't want to hear the details. Besides, the look on the head guy's face when they asked him to explain what had malfunctioned was priceless."

They watched about fifteen minutes of the news before Jim looked ready to vibrate out of his skin, at which point Bones turned off the holo and pointed at the Christmas tree.

"Thank you!" Jim laughed, leaping off the couch and pulling out a box. "One for you," he said, tossing it to him, "one for me. There are more, but we'll do this one at a time."

Jim tore into his like a little kid while Bones shook his head and opened his at a more sedate pace; "To Bones, from Your Brother From Another Mother," he read, pulling the paper off. "Good god, man, this is the most expensive medical triquarter on the market!"

"I know," Jim grinned, "What, you thought I spent my entire inheritance on drinks and parties?"

"Well, yeah."

"Thanks, Bones. I love you too."

"I just- Jim we've known each other five months. I'm not trying to demean our friendship, but-"

"Hey, calm down," Jim waved him off, "You're my friend, it doesn't matter how long we've known each other."

"I don't know whether to thank you again or punch you."

"Please don't punch me. Your entire body is made of solid muscle. You are the most built doctor in the galaxy."

"Well?" he asked, ignoring the muscle comment and gesturing at the box in Jim's hands.

Jim grin was huge; "You bought me every episode of Stargate: SG-1. I don't even know where you found this, but you are my hero."

"I'm the Daniel Jackson to your Jack O'Neill is what I am."

"I expect you to become ten times more badass over the next decade if that's the case."

"I'll do my best."

"... You're a bit of a hypocrite, aren't you?" Jim said, "Weren't these expensive?" He tapped the first case, which had actually been a steal at a vid store in China Town. Bones didn't deign his statement with a reply, and Jim let it go.

"Okay, next lot," Jim chirped, pulling out a couple more packages, "These ones are from North!"

"... Excuse me?"

"You're a believer," Jim grinned, "and thus you are on one of the lists; apparently the good one, so go you. I'm on the naughty list, but North gets me presents anyway."

"The fact that this man knows enough about me to determine what list I go on scares me."

"His tech is wicked awesome," Jim agreed, pulling the wrapping off more carefully than the last one, "The sleigh is the bomb... Oh."

Bones looked up from his own unwrapping and saw Jim holding up a large snow globe, his face softened into a fond smile.

"Frank broke the last one North made for me about three days after I got it. I drove a car off a cliff in retaliation. I never mentioned it because I didn't want North to come and stab the idiot, but I let it slip a few weeks ago. He made me a new one."

"That's sweet kid," Bones grinned, "I'm still stuck on the part where you drove a car off a cliff."

"The doctors said I was a very unstable child."

"I'm willing to believe it."

* * *

 

They unwrapped the few other presents under the tree (mostly for Jim from his band of mythical creatures), and then sat on the couch and contemplated watching bad Christmas holos for about three minutes before Jim decided that his snow was going to be _enjoyed_ damn it.

Which was how Bones wound up looking like an overstuffed plush doll while Jim ran out into the snow in jeans and a thin pullover, laughing like a maniac.

"C'mon, Bones, you can't stay under the awning all day!" Jim laughed, looking like an honest-to-God seventeen year old. He flopped backwards onto the good couple of feet of snow that had accumulated and made the most pathetic snow angel that Bones had ever witnessed; lack of weight apparently did not make for good impressions on the ground.

"I think I can," Bones called back, glancing at the few others still on Academy grounds. A couple of kids (which is to say young men) were building a snowman under a tree a few hundred metres from where Jim lay, and beyond that Bones could see a few more people still scattered about the campus green. Which was white. Ugh.

"Boooooones!"

"Jim, the one time I saw snow in my whole life I nearly cried." He was not going to admit that in the couple of days that the snow had remained unmelted he'd called in sick at the practice and frolicked with his daughter like a five year old.

"Okay, fine then," Jim said, the tone of his voice belying his words of agreement. He scraped a ball of snow together from beside him and blew on it, and Bones narrowed his eyes.

"Don't you dare."

"Don't I dare do what?" Jim asked innocently, raising his hand to throw it.

"No, you are not going to throw your damn magical snowballs at me, god damnit!" Bones yelled, dodging sideways to avoid the projectile.

"You will play in the snow and you will enjoy it!" Jim yelled, crafting another snowball.

"I'm going to be a grouch for the rest of eternity if you don't stop!" Bones yelled back, dodging another and then narrowing his eyes; "Fine, have it your way." He ducked forward, narrowly missing another snowball to the face, and quickly scooped up enough snow for a ball twice the size of the ones Jim had been flinging. He threw it and Jim fell backwards with a "thump!", the snowball having hit him square on the nose.

"Do you yield?" he called over.

Jim reply was to flip him the bird and yell, "Never!" despite still lying prone.

Bones noticed that the two kids had stopped their work to watch them and wondered what they must look like.

And then he got hit in the face by another snowball.

The sudden surge of happiness left him stunned and he smiled, and then tried to glare at Jim through his grin.

"I can't believe you did that, you little shit!" he laughed, compacting another snowball and sending it sailing at Jim's head.

"I regret nothing!"

"You're gonna regret something, lemme tell you!"

Jim would insist on recounting the "epic battle" that followed to anyone who would listen for the next five years, but all that really happened was two Starfleet Cadets - grown men, no less - romped around in the snow and eventually the bigger one tackled the smaller one into a snow drift. Then they lay back and watched the clouds go by for a while, Bones occasionally muttering about how the snow _had_ to be melting into his clothes.

They talked about the Christmases they'd had growing up (or in Jim's case, those he'd had prior to being Jim) and exchanged the moments where this relative had done that or one Guardian had started a fight with another. They talked about the presents they'd received ("They seriously tried to give me a different pair of shoes every year and after six years went by I told them that the next set they threw my way would see the bottom of the ocean.") and relatives they hadn't known they'd had ("He was from California and he was the biggest meathead I've ever laid eyes on.") and sad Christmases ("He passed away only the week before. It was the first year for most of a human lifespan that I'd spent without him and I was only okay because his family was so strong.") and happy ones ("She was the happiest six-month-old I'd ever laid eyes on and I sometimes wish we could go back to that.").

At some point, Bones remembered that this was the first time in over two hundred years that Jim had missed Christmas with his family. He couldn't bring himself to feel bad about it anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming along with me on this (frankly out of control) journey, guys! Let's hope there's more to come. :3


End file.
